In earlier experiments, Plata showed that the carbon nanotube synthesis process produced several cancer-causing compounds and substances that can contribute to ozone and smog formation, both of which cause respiratory ailments. This reactor, known as a tube furnace, is used to manufacture, or "grow," carbon nanotubes. The QFF is a quartz fiber filter used to collect particles produced by the manufacturing process. The PUF is a polyurethane foam used to collect hydrophobic compounds, like the polycylic aromatic hydrcarbons(PAHs). The gas cannister collects gases that come out of the heated quartz reactor tube, where nanotubes "grow." (Photo by Desiree Plata, MIT/WHOI)[back]
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